Sweeping-machine.



SWBEPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION rum) NOV. 20, 1906.

907,755. Patented Dec. 29, 1908.

A TTORNE Y its driving wheel, \sithout operating the receptacle,- with utmost ease and rapidity,

rcar elevation oftlatch 2 1.

JGSEPH J. DE SPAIN, OF NEAR ST, JOSEPH, MISSOURI,

$WEEPING-MAGHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 29, 1908.,

Application filed November 20, 1906. Serial No. 3443M.

To all wit-0m it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH J. DE SPAIN, citizen of the United States, residing near St. Joseph, in the county of-Buchanan and State of Missoiu have invented certain new and useful linpro'rements in Sweeping-Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

My invention relates to improvements in that class of sweeping machines, which are used for sweeping streets, floors and the like; and is especially designed for the sweeping of paved streets: and the objects of my improvements are; first to provide a sweeping machine which shall sweep and carry matter from the surface, swept thereby, and perform said operatic Without raising dust or particles of said matter; thus avoiding inconvenience-to persons and injury to objects, near my invention, \ihile the same is in use; second, to so construct a sweeping machine, that it shall adjust itself to irregular surfaces; that said machine may at the pleasure of the operator he trans 'zoited on sweeping incchanism, and to provideevcry facility for emptying and cleaning the matter and further to provide means for the protection from injury of the brush of said inachinc, that it shall be thoroughly adjustable, be easy of operation, simple in construction, be durable and cheap in cost of. manufacture. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated. in the accoin mm'ingz; (ii aning, in which:

Fi rure 1". is' a view in perspective, shou inc; the-lid and bottom of thc mat lcr rcccptacle in open position, certain pm is being: onrittcd to avoid'conl'usion. Fin; 2. a longitudinal section, cut vertically throuo'h the center of the machine-showing thclid and bottom of the matter receptacle in closed position, and the machine in position for transroiting on its drive Wheel. Ficg. 3. is a view in "perspective, of the machine it amps-ms in rse. Fi l. is a rciir tics; of ccrtaiu parts of the shiftin mechanism. Fig. 5. is a side clcralion of-adjustable box 15 an'dbl' certain other parts. liq'. l". is aside clcgution of box 11.; and oi" certain other pints. his. '1'. is a Fig. 8 is a top plan of the shifter. 1 Referring to Fig. 2, my invention in' its preferred form, consists of side pieces and 3, end pieces 4 and 5, hinged lid 6, hinged to hood 8 by hinges 6; hinged bottom 7 hinged to end piece 5, by hinges 7, to form the body 1, of my invention, u hich is a receptacle for receiving and carrying matter, swept by said machine. IU'y invention, also embraces the hood 8, rndcr n hich rotates the l)1LSl1 9, carried on shaft 10, rotating in adjustable boxes 11, and driven by sprocket pinion 1.2, driven by sprocket chain 13, driven by sprockezz v. hecl 14, loose on shaft 15, and normally held in engagement pith ratchcted collar 16, by spring 16; and also shifta-ble out of engagement uith said collar, scci red on shaft 15; by L shaped'shifter lever 17", having its free end fr lcri med against the inner surface of side piece 2, and being pivotally attached at 17 to shifter 7, slidably s1 pported by side pieces .2 and 5. Lever 17 is operated by pi ll rod 18, p1 lied by grip lever 19, pivotally attached to T handle 20, by pivot 19. T handle 20 is provided with fork 20 secured to body 1. by bolts 20*. Latch- 21 is pivoted to piece 4, at 22, and has its lovrer portion bil'l rcatcd, as seen in big, 7, said blfLICtltlOIlS terminate in the shape of hooks as seen at 23,

acti ated by spring .21 to normally engage and detachably hold catch pieces 24 S601 red on the free edge of bottom 7, as seen in Fig. 2. Shaft 15 is driven by \ihccl 25, secured thereon, and ulrich normally supports the rear end of body 1. vertically adji stable, by scrcss'i 1", to coinpensatc for wear of bri sh 9, arising from rsc, and flu s providcs means for keeping brrsh 9 in contact uith s1. rfacc. 25, hen said bl'l shis 1n {KHYG l sc, as seen in h1g3 Boxes 15? are horizontally adji stable by screws 15*, as sccn in if 5-, for lcnsioinnp' the sprocket (ham 13 seen 111 rigsl. and Points or projections 20 are formed integral with the sides cf body 1, points or hood 5%.

in the operation of my invention the operator (not shown). grasps T handle 20, and by itp1 shes the machine forward, with maas seen in l 3. and the projections 28 are formed with the chine in position seen in Fig. 8,'traction ofv si'rfscc 25, rotates the drive vhccl 25,

Boxes 11, see i in. 6. are

which drives rotary brish 9, by the before dcscril -'ed parts. 1 licrcb'y su'ccpingnfatter 25", from s! rlucc ,22-5". over scr'upcrcdge 9" and scrapers,- into'body .1, util said operator" desires to transport said ni'achine to anotherresses'} downward ;upon- '1 handle 20 until t e Ina-1 place, upon :uhich said operator chine assumes the position seen in Fig. 2. and at the same time grips and presses ip lever 19 and by said lever disenga es ti e brush driving mechanism from whee 25, on which the machine is then transported to said place.

surface 25*, and said matter may readily be removed, from body 1. A hen the operator desires to thoroughly clean the interior of body 1, the machine isplaced in the position seen in Fig. 1. resting in a vertical position on points 28 and 29 convenient for the operator; and the bottom 7 and lid 6 are rotated on their res ective hinges to the position seen: after whlch the parts are replaced in position, seen in big. 2. and the operation is repeated 'as desired. '1 he detachably attached scraper edge 9 provides a very inexpensive means for renewing the edge of scraper 9*, when the same is required by reason of accident or wear. Hood 8 covers brush 9 and prevents romiscuous throwing of matter 25'. It will e seen in Fig. 4. that the ratchets of collar 16, and the ratehets on sprocket wheel 14, are so sloped that said ratchets will automatically disengage, when sprocket wheel 14 is rotated backward, which occurs when the said operator pulls the machine backward, by T handle 20. It will readily be understood, that should matter 25", adhere to surface 25, that scraper edge 9*, when in operation, as seen in Fig. 3 would cleave said matter from said surface, and that since the wheel 25 provides a one-point support for the rear .end of body 1, the weight of the forward part of body 1 will press scraper edge 9 throughout the entire length thereof, firmly u on surface 25 the device therefore being sel ,-adjusting.

The wheel 25, is outside of the body 1 at the.

rearof said body, and is provided with positive means for driving brush 9 in position to be free from interference of dust and particles of matter.

1 hile I have shown my invention, as a manually operated machine, it is evident that modifications could be made, which.

would render said machine suitable to be operated by horses or other power, and for sweeping a variety of srrfaces, without departing from the spirit of my invention, and

reserve the right so to do. I am aware that sweeping machines have been invented, in which each of said machines is provided with a suitable receptacle for receiving and carrying matter, swept by said machine; and that the well known rotary brush, adaptedsaid scrappr to swee matter over a scraper into said rece tac e, is in common use; but in all such mac ines of which I am aware, either four point supports are provided, which render the scrapers of said machines non self adjusting, or the tractionwheel is provided with a friction drive, (which is non-positive in its action,) for driving the rotary brush.

lherefore, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is;

-1. In a sweeping machine, the combination with the body 1, adapted to receive and carry matter swept by said machine, of a scraper attached to said body, a rotary brush adapted to sweep said .matter over and into said body; a hood for said brus the two projections 29, formed integral with body 1, and the projection 28, formed with hood 8, adapted to sup ort the machine in a vertical position; toget er with bottom 7, having one of its edges hinged to said body and its opposite, free edge detachably attached to said body,and also the lid or cover 6, having one of its edges hinged to hood 8.

2. In a sweeping machine, in combination, the body 1, a scraper, attached to said body, and adapted to support the forward.

portion thereof, a rotary brush, secured on a shaft, rotatably mounted in the forward part of said body and provided with a sprocket pinion on one end thereof, a traction wheel,

drive shaft, a ratcheted sprocket wheel,

loosely mounted on'said drive shaft, a spring encircling said drive shaft, for disengageabl engaging said ratcheted sprocket wheel Wit said ratcheted collar, a shifter, slidably mounted in the side pieces of said body, an t. lever, pivotally secured on said shifter, a pull rod for pulling one end of said 5. level, while the free end of said lever is fulcrumed against the inner surface of one of said side pieces, a grip handle for prlling said pull rod, a T handle for pushing said machine, and on which said grip handle ispivotally mounted and a sprocket chain for conveying power from said ratcheted sprocket wheel to'said sprocket pinion. g

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOS PH J. nu SPAIN.

Witnesses: A WALTER 1t. COBB,

EM-ETTE O. HARVEY. 

